Researchers at Harvard University and University of California, San Diego have made the first 3D printed robot with both hard and soft body parts that can make more than 100 jumps on its own. To top it all off, the robot is powered by a mixture of butane and oxygen.
The blueprint for creating this hybrid hard and soft robot came from directly from nature via a species of mussels which have a foot that becomes rigid when it comes into contact with rocks.
According to the researchers, rigid layers make a better interface with the robot's electronic brains and power sources and the soft layers make it less vulnerable to damage when it lands after its jumping spree.
The robot has two halves nestled together. The top half is shaped like half of a shell and was 3D printed with nine different layers of stiffness which gives the robot rubber-like flexibility on the exterior and full rigidity at its core. The bottom half is completely flexible and houses the oxygen and butane in a small chamber. The two halves surround a rigid core that has a custom circuit board, high-voltage power source, battery, miniature air compressor and butane fuel cell.
To power the robot, researchers inject and ignite butane and oxygen to make the bottom half of the robot rapidly inflate which forces it into a jump. When the gas charge is depleted, the bottom half goes back to its original shape.
In a series of tests, the researchers said the robot jumped two and a half feet (0.75 m) and half a foot (0.15m) laterally. It also survived an additional 35 falls from a four foot height.
“We believe that bringing together soft and rigid materials will help create a new generation of fast, agile robots that are more robust and adaptable than their predecessors and can safely work side by side with humans,” said Michael Tolley, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UC San Diego.
